Sheer Curiosity
by Nature9000
Summary: When turning twenty-one, Beck finds himself in a conversation with his friends regarding what he should do. When they bring up the idea of his going to a strip club, he turns it down while confessing a mild curiosity in what they're like. Due to this, his own girlfriend forces him to go. Uncertain if he is being tested, he reluctantly attends to see what they are like.


Sheer Curiosity

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious

A/N: While this is rated M, there are no sexual scenes or adult situations in this. It is only due to the setting. This could qualify as a T story, but it's M to be on the safe side.

* * *

-DONE OUT OF SHEER CURIOSITY-

"Beck, you're twenty-one now man." Beck met a high five from Andre and smiled as Andre and Robbie both cheered him on. "What are you going to do now?"

"Dad and I were going to grab a beer." They were visiting the Vega home as Tori had cake that she prepared. It wasn't cooked very well and he didn't like cake, but he still ate it and made an attempt to be nice. "After that, I don't know. It doesn't really feel like there's anything different about being twenty-one."

He was a year older than everyone else, so they still had time before their 'fantasies' about turning twenty-one ceased. Even Tori's sister said nothing happened after hitting that milestone. Though Trina did get out of the house around then, unlike Tori, who was still living with her parents and unable to find real work. Tori opted not to go to college as Trina had, and was sending all of her resumes to the big time song and record producers, none of which had responded yet.

"I get my bachelor's degree in one year, so there's that." He was getting a degree in education, teaching drama in a high school setting. Currently he was interning as a student teacher at Sherwood High, but that was another story entirely. "There's not a whole lot to do once you turn twenty-one."

"Are you joking?" Robbie scoffed and shook his head. "You get to drink, you're higher on the job scale, and you even get to go to strip clubs now!" Beck's eyebrows rose and a snort shot from his nostrils while Andre laughed.

"I'd rather not go to one of those…places." Not only did he have no interest outside of curiosity in what they were like, Jade would freak out. "I have a girlfriend, guys. One who would _kill_ me if I ever went to one." Andre's and Robbie's face went sour and they exchanged looks of disapproval.

Andre leaned forward, giving Beck a serious look in the eyes. "Haven't you ever wondered what they were like?" Discomfort churned within him and he leaned back, feeling as though there were eyes prying down upon him. Even when she wasn't there, he could still feel Jade's presence. "Think about it, dude! All those sexy chicks walking around, then taking you into private rooms for private dances or god knows what."

He scratched at the back of his head and groaned as his collar heated up. "Um, yeah…" The visual of a woman throwing herself into some random man's lap filled him with nausea. "I have more respect for women, you know. I don't want to be one of those men staring lustfully at them-did I mention I have a girlfriend?"

"What Jade doesn't know won't hurt you." Robbie's lips curved into a smirk and Beck threw his fist up to his chest, coughing loudly. "And what do those girls care? They're in the job for a reason, right? They must like it."

"I don't know guys. Just respect my decision."

Andre's face fell flat and he squinted his eyes. "I can tell your bachelor party is going to be boring as hell. And here I was thinking whenever you get married, I'd hire a stripper for you."

"No thanks!" He folded his arms across his chest and furrowed his brow. "I mean I guess I am a little curious what it's like, but I don't want to go to one of those places."

"I think you should." His heart stopped as Jade's voice entered his ears. Robbie and Andre twisted around to look behind the couch while Beck's head snapped up to the top of the stairs. Jade was standing with her hands gripping the rail and her narrow eyes burning onto the three men. "Do it."

"J-Jade? What are you talking about?"

"You just said you were curious what it's like." She began to descend the stairs, her hand slid down the rail with a slow motion. His heartbeat matched the flow of her steps, and sounded of to drown out any noise in the room. "The guys are pushing you to, and if you have a curiosity now…if you don't sate it, then it'll just grow, right?"

"I'm not really that curious, Jade."

"Oh?" Her eyes studied his, forcing him to avert his gaze. "I disagree. Every man wants to go." That was as fair as it was true, not every man wanted to go just as not every man liked strip clubs. "That said, I want you to go, and I have the perfect one in mind."

His heart stopped the minute she stepped onto the floor. "What?" Jade had no reason to suggest he go to one, especially not since she was worried he might cheat on her. Although her trust issues had gone down tremendously over the years, he was well aware that she still struggled with that fear that she wasn't good enough for someone, therefore the other person would cheat. "Jade, I honestly have no desire-"

"I said you're going, and you're going." He shrank in his seat while Andre made quick attempts to defend him.

"If this is about us, we're just messing with him." Andre looked over to Beck with a nervous chuckle. "We wouldn't want him to do something he's uncomfortable with."

"Bullshit. You were egging him on. So it's decided. Thursday night, Beck, you'll be going to Los Angeles Showgirls. Seven o'clock sharp." His muscles tensed as Jade walked casually to the kitchen counter. His mind was spinning about the possibilities that Jade could be planning something, but there was nothing that added up. She didn't have any friends that were old enough to get into a strip club, she didn't know anyone that worked at one, nor would she go to one herself.

Protesting didn't work, and Beck found himself entering the strip club alone on the night Jade issued him to go. At this point it wasn't entirely forced anymore because his curiosity had grown in his anticipation as well as hesitation.

Nervousness set in and his body had grown rigid. "I wasn't expecting the ten dollars at the door," he whispered while pushing the glossy credit card to the blonde standing behind the desk next to the front door. The girl smiled at him and swiped the card.

"We just like to make sure and keep all the hoodlums out." The woman handed him back both the credit card and his identification. "Happy birthday, by the way."

"Um, yeah, thanks." As he moved through the inner doorway, the smell of smoke struck his nostrils while flashing lights pierced his eyes. Beck tucked his trembling hands into his pockets and glanced right to see three pool tables. In front of him were several regular tables to sit at, and a few single square stages with empty poles. "Strange. No dancers, and not that many people…"

A lump formed in his throat as his eyes turned to the bar on the left. There were a few sitting down at the right end, but the right had several empty stools, so he made his way to that end.

The bartender was a young pregnant woman with long blonde hair. Considering the amount of ashtrays at the bar and smokers nearby, he was shocked by the sight. He couldn't stand cigarette smoke himself, so immediately his nerves were skyrocketing.

His problem now was a matter of having to sit and wait. Beck had been dropped off by his father, who was overly amused by this endeavor, and told Beck he would swing by and pick him up after two hours. Mr. Oliver had something he had to do, and Beck was going to have a drink, therefore wasn't going to drive.

"What would you like?" The bartender asked.

"Jameson?" It was a strong drink, but his father told him to try it, and so he was going to. Jameson was an Irish Whiskey, which was a liquor that Beck hadn't wanted to try. Still, his father informed him on their first drink date that he needed to familiarize himself with different alcoholic drinks while learning not to depend on them to the point that he became an alcoholic.

In the corner of his eyes he saw a woman walking towards him. As the bartender left to grab his drink, this dark haired woman sat on the stool beside him. She had on a pair of knee-length shorts and a tube top, which gave him the impression that she was the owner. "Hello?"

"Hi, I'm Denise." She extended her hand and he shook it after a second of hesitation. "Why are you sitting all the way down here?"

"I don't know, I just kind of like it here." The bartender returned with the glass and he handed her his father's card.

"Will you be getting a dance?"

"No, I don't have any cash or anything." He wanted to say something about Jade, but was frightened about what this woman would think of him. What kind of man would go to a place like this if he had someone he was with? _"I'm not a cheater. I don't want to cheat on Jade. If I keep repeating…I love Jade, I love Jade, I love Jade."_

"We have an atm." His stomach twisted as he turned his eyes to the cigarette in the woman's hand. The woman started to smile and pat him on the wrist, causing him to pull it away from the bar. He closed his eyes and reached for the glass. "Tell you what, Mr-?"

"Beck."

"Beck. Tell you what. Just watch the dancers and if you think you'd like a dance-"

"I don't see any dancers." The woman laughed, then pointed to the far end of the large establishment. Hidden behind the flashing lights and darkened room was a brown haired girl on a stage in front of a pole, she was in a split formation and had her hands reaching behind her. The dancer also had no bra on and looked as though her panties were off as well.

His eyes widened and his lips parted. "It's hard to see with the lights, and stuff."

"First time here?"

"Yeah."

"Well. You just enjoy your drink, and maybe the view as well." As the woman walked off, he turned to face the bar and looked down at the glass with a groan. He felt like something was wrong with him for not wanting to look at the dancer on stage. There were several men and women surrounding the stage, each eyeing the girl, and here he'd rather study the whiskey.

"Might as well see how this tastes." As he swept his trembling hands through his hair, he tentatively picked up the glass and brought it to his lips. "I hope they don't think there's something wrong with me." The idea of a strip club would be great if he hadn't been currently with someone that he cared for.

Back in the day he loved the attention from women, and even found it amusing when Jade would get jealous, but he'd severely toned down since then. To that degree, this was starting to look like the most uncomfortable night he'd experience.

Beck shut his eyes and tilted the glass, taking a quick sip of the liquid. As the burning drink touched his tongue, his eyes snapped open and he pulled the glass from his mouth. After swallowing, the taste lingered and strangely enticed him to take another sip.

He turned his head to the right and scrunched his nose as the dancer started to climb the pole. "Why did Jade want me to come here at this time?" It was one thing to see her being so adamant about sending him to a strip club, but the fact that she selected a place and time made things much worse. "She's not twenty-one yet, so there's no way she's here watching me. So how the hell can she test me?"

Assuming that were the case, he could never be truly sure what she was up to. However, he was getting exhausted with her lack of trust.

As time passed, he tried to find things to distract himself with. The television on the wall to his left had a baseball game being covered by a news station, so that was fairly attractive to look at.

Looking away, a girl that looked like she could be Andre's sister was walking towards him. She had long chocolate brown hair with red highlights that flowed in curls to her shoulders. Her eyes were hidden by enormously long eyelashes, and her plump lips were painted in glossy red lips.

Much like the other strippers in the area, she was topless.

Beck grabbed the whiskey glass as though it were his protection and held it close, watching with growing anxiety as the woman sat down beside him. "Hi. I'm Denise." She extended her hand, then moved it down to his thigh.

His eyes widened and he flinched the moment her hand made contact. He pulled his legs away and flashed the best smile he could muster. Part of him wished this were Andre's sister, so that he wouldn't feel as uncomfortable with the girl's presence, but then he'd be horrified if she were the man's sibling.

Thankfully Olivia was much too young, and Andre would freak out.

"I'm Beck. How are you?"

"Good. Are you enjoying the sights?"

"I…" He glanced to his glass, then took another sip. The second drink was better than the first. "Am enjoying my drink." The girl laughed once and leaned back.

"You need to relax. Do you want a dance?"

"No, I'm fine here. Don't have cash anyway." He looked up as the current dancer switched out with another. His stomach twisted and he swallowed a heavy lump in his throat. "I've never been to one of these places before. "Recently turned twenty-one."

"Oh, so you're a fresh one. You should definitely have a dance."

"No thanks."

"Do I at least get a tip for being pretty?"

"Um…" He curled his lips upwards so he could smile with his teeth. "Sure. You're pretty." The woman laughed again, then pat him on the arm before heading off. Beck turned back towards the bar and hunched his body forward while taking another drink of the whiskey. "I want to leave. Dad has to help a client of his for the next hour or two, so I'm stuck here. God help me."

The music's vibration reached his body, but he felt like each beat was his heart flaring up. He tried in vain to relax his tense muscles, and felt a burning sensation on his leg where the woman touched him. Her fingers had slipped almost all the way to his crotch, and no woman had ever gone that far besides Jade. He wanted to keep it that way.

The smell of perfume behind him was growing stronger, enticing him yet giving him a nauseous feeling as it was mixed with cigarette smoke and sweat. His eyebrows pushed a wrinkle up between them and he started to turn his head, tensing when an olive skinned, topless girl leaned up against his back and set her hand on his leg. Her head twisted around and she spoke with a sensual tone. "Are you ready for your molestation?"

He cringed as she pulled away and stepped up next to him. "That's one way to creep someone out." The words fell from his mouth without any thought, which was abnormal for him.

The woman had dark brown, curly hair that drifted to her chin. Her face was soft and her plump lips curled into a tiny smile. "Aw I wouldn't creep you out."

"I uh, yeah I mean…" He cleared his throat and took another swig of his drink, whining under his breath as the drink wasn't affecting him in any way that he thought it would.

"Oh you are so nervous, it's cute!" His cheeks burned and drew blood to the surface. "Would you like a dance?"

"I have no money. Not to mention I'm with someone…"

"That someone doesn't have to know. After all, you're the one at the strip club." He chuckled nervously and dropped his head.

"It isn't like that. I swear."

"Want a hug? Free of charge." He started to shake his head. As harmless as a hug was, he didn't want to feel worse than he already did. The woman extended her arms and waved her hands inwards. "Come on, bring it in."

"Um. Well, I don't want to be rude." He held his breath and reached one arm around her shoulders in a light hug, then pulled it away.

"What was that? You got to stand up."

Beck complied with hesitation, then gave another one armed hug. To his shock, the woman then rubbed her thighs against his, causing him to jump back into his seat and tense. The woman laughed again, then walked away, leaving him trembling and alone.

"Oh god. I hate this place. I swear I will never come to a strip club again." The whiskey was almost gone, but it wouldn't help him much once it was depleted. "I uh, I may need another drink at this rate."

The dancer on the stage shifted out once more and he turned his back so he could look at the baseball game on the television. Just then, another topless stripper walked up and placed her hand on his back, causing him to jerk and snap his eyes to her.

She was a tall brunette with pale skin and a pleasant face that did nothing to comfort his now dead nerves. "Did I scare you?"

"J-Just a little." His teeth chattered behind closed lips and his wide eyes were covered now by sweat drenched hair.

"Sorry. I'm Candy." The music blasting in his ears muffled her voice, so he couldn't hear the soft tone she spoke in.

"Katie?"

She smiled and shook her head. "Candy, like Candice."

"Oh. Sorry, couldn't hear you that well." His eyes peered over her shoulders to the three billiard tables. One of which was blocked by the corner that the entryway was. Somebody had been playing pool the entire time, only this time he could see the back of a woman with brown hair flowing over her clothed shoulders, and long jeans. This was a surprising sight for what he'd been seeing thus far.

"That's alright. I've been over at the pool tables with a friend of mine. Why are you so nervous?"

"First time here. My girlfriend made me come for reasons I don't know. She probably thinks I'm going to cheat on her or something." Instead, he could only wash down the bile in his throat with some alcoholic beverage which was now empty. "I don't like it here. I also don't like feeling like I'm one of those people that are watching because of lust, it seems like such a hard job…a lot of disrespectful people watching, you know."

"Well, that's not abnormal." Candice leaned over the bar and closed her hands together. Beck furrowed his brow as the woman looked over her shoulder to the woman shooting pool. "Not everyone comes here to watch or interact with the strippers either. My friend is actually here on work because I convinced her she might be able to give some of the dancers here a better shot at stuff."

"Oh."

"But sometimes girls become strippers because they can find nothing else, or it's the best paying job they can get. There are many reasons." Candice leaned upright and looked towards another dancer walking around the dining tables. "We saw a couple approach you already."

"I don't want to cheat on my girlfriend."

Candice smiled at him and pat his shoulder, giving him a reassuring look. "Then your girlfriend is lucky to find a man like you. Married men come in here as much as single men do. The second girl that came up to you, Ravana, she's pretty good at seducing even the strongest married men into paying for a lap dance. I think you ought to let Jade know how resilient you are."

"Yeah…" He turned away as Candice walked off. Her words were spinning about his brain while he sought to process them. After several seconds he snapped upright and looked back to see the woman retreating around the wall and towards the pool tables. "How in the hell does she know Jade's name?"

Beck started to get up from the stool, but stopped when he saw Ravana and two men walk towards one of the other pool tables. His muscles tensed as a burning sensation shot through him. "Yeah, forget it…how much time before dad picks me up?"

His cell phone displayed eight o'clock, which meant he had another hour before his time was over. Beck rolled his eyes and looked to the bartender with a subtle whimper. The girl's eyes darted from the phone in her hand and she sat upright. "Would you like something else to drink?"

"I-"

"Beck." His eyebrows shot up and his mouth fell agape as the familiar voice drifted into his ears as though it were a melodious song. As many years as he spent with his friends laughing at this girl, he was more than happy to hear her voice. Even still, he couldn't fathom why she would be at a strip club.

He turned his head over his shoulder and furrowed his brow. "Trina?" She had a pleasant smile and half-lidded eyes. Her purple shirt bore a lace trim at the bottom, covering the belt of her dark blue jeans. "What are you doing here? Does Tori-do your parents even know you're here?"

"My husband knows I'm here." She lifted her hand, revealing the golden wedding band around her finger. His heart shot up to his throat and he jerked back in shock.

"I-I didn't know you were married."

"My sister just hasn't gotten around to telling you guys yet. Jason and I married about a month ago." Trina sat on the barstool beside him and snapped her fingers while pointing to the beer. "Give my friend a bottle of Dos Equis if you will, Kate. On me."

"So then, why are you at a strip club." He bowed his head and closed his eyes while his cheeks continued to increase in heat. "Not that I'm one to ask, I suppose. You're not uh, you're not a stripper?"

"No I'm not. You know what a talent scout is, right?"

"Someone that connects potential actors to agencies? A recruiter?"

"Yeah. I'm something like that, but not exactly." Trina cleared her throat and pointed towards the dancer. "Do you see that girl over there?" He averted his eyes, staring down at the empty glass. "It's okay to look, Beck. You're not doing it out of lust, nor a willing desire to cheat on Jade. I'm pointing something out."

"Okay…" He took a deep breath and glanced to the dancer. To his amazement, the blonde was at the top of the stripper pole. Her hand and arm was the only thing holding the pole while she wrapped her body around it and extended her left leg. Her right leg swept back through the air, then twisted in an arc beneath her body only to rise up and curl around her left. "Whoa. She should be a gymnast!"

"Many of these girls could be. They have the talent." Beck nodded as the bartender set two bottles of beer down, one for him and the other for Trina. "A lot of girls don't have the opportunities that they deserve. Many strippers you see are branded the misconception of society's judgments. While quite a few don't _want_ to work in a job like this-it's the best or only thing they can find. Sadly, there's never anyone that can come in and recognize a talent that they may have, since so many just want to have sex with them…"

"So wait, you're scouting them for talent? What exactly do you do?"

Trina's lip curved into a smirk and she grabbed her beer. "You remember several years ago when I took you, Andre and Robbie all on?"

"Yeah, martial arts seems to be a strong point…"

"It's a talent too. I was a gymnast when I was young, also practiced some martial arts moves. I studied business and management skills in college, opened up a gym. I'm looking now for teachers, coaches, and even gymnasts that can be coached and go on to many things-like the Olympics."

"So you're recruiting?"

"Yes. Anyone I can find that's willing to learn as well will be great. My husband and I can train them to teach, and we'll pay well. You've met Candice, she's a friend of mine who told me I should look at some of the girls here." He looked back to the pool tables where Candice was watching the other stripper hug the men. "I met her at the university a couple years ago. She has no family, so she started working here in order to pay for school."

"That's respectable."

"Yes. Also, the dancer on stage right now. Her shift ends soon."

"You've got your eye on her as an instructor?"

"Yes. Candice pointed her out to me the other day. I've been here since seven, waiting for the end of her shift." His heart stopped and he shifted his eyes onto Trina, studying her closely.

It was beginning to add up in his mind. Jade had been taking some lessons at a recently started gym, but he didn't know much about that. If it was the same gym Trina started up, then she could know Trina would be scouting out this particular strip club. In which case, Trina had been within vision and earshot this entire time.

"Anyway, you've been pretty uncomfortable from what I can tell." He chuckled nervously and brought the bottle to his lips. Trina pat him on the back and his muscles relaxed. "The girl's shift ends in about thirty minutes, once I talk to her, I can take you home if you'd like."

"Please?" He chuckled sheepishly and Trina laughed. "My dad won't be finished with work for another hour, and even then it'll take him twenty minutes or so to get here."

"Alright." Trina rose up from the bar and grabbed her beer. "I'll be over at the pool table, you're free to join for a game of eight ball." He glanced to another stripper walking around the lounge area and he quickly hopped from the stool. Certainly he'd be left alone if he was hanging with Trina.

"Sounds great. Thanks. I never thought I'd be so glad to see you." Trina laughed at him and moved to the billiards table. He followed with swift movement, feeling relaxed for the first time.

The next day he met up with Jade at his home. When she entered, he was sitting on his couch with his arms crossed and his heels kicked up onto the footrest. "So Beck," Jade began, "How was your night at the strip club?" Her lips slicked up into a smirk and he raised his eyebrows.

"Never do that to me again, Jade." He extended his hand and poked a finger upwards. Her brow furrowed and her hands moved down onto the top of the couch as she leaned over from behind. "You need to start trusting me in this relationship too. How would you feel if I made you go to a male strip club just to test whether or not you'd cheat?"

"I wouldn't cheat."

"I wouldn't cheat on you either, yet you still send me to a goddamn strip club. Where yes, you must have known Trina was going to be there." Jade bowed her head and let out a single chuckle.

"Okay I admit, I knew she was going to be recruiting gymnasts and fitness instructors for her gym. I asked her to watch you as well." Trina did recruit the girl she was looking for, and also managed to recruit one other, so she made her quota for the night. "I didn't know she was going to go up to you, though."

"It was so fucking uncomfortable Jade. She came up because I was freaking out!" Jade leaned back and her eyebrows rose.

"Was it really that bad?"

"Like I said, don't ever put me through that again." One thing was certain, he had nothing against the strippers working there, but he officially hated strip clubs. "Or I might hire a male stripper for your twenty-first birthday." Jade's jaw dropped and her cheeks turned bright red. She moved around the couch and sat beside him.

"You wouldn't do that."

"Oh?" He twisted around and wagged his eyebrows. "Wouldn't I?"

She leaned into him, keeping her face inches from his. Her eyes gazed into his and her eyelids fell halfway. "Of course not, because you're just as bad as I am." He tilted his head and dropped his gaze to her lips. "You couldn't stand the thought of another man around me."

"Maybe not."

"Sorry for putting you through that, I was just curious to see what would happen. I didn't know it was going to be so uncomfortable for you."

"I don't know why a guy who already has a woman would go to one of those places when he can get action at home."

"Good." Her voice lowered to a sensual whisper and her hand moved onto his. "There's only one woman I want touching and stripping for you."

He smirked back at her and curled his fingers around hers. "Who is that?" Jade leaned forward, touching the tip of her nose to his. Her lips brushed against his, sending a spark of electricity into his cheeks.

"Take a guess." She pulled her head back as he moved his hand up to her waist. "Look, but don't touch." She pushed his hand away and his heartbeat sped up as she stood and curled her fingers around the bottom of her shirt. "How about I give you that dance?"

"I don't have money," he joked. Jade threw her head back and laughed.

"This one's free." She hovered over him and ran her hands along his outer thighs, arousing him in an instant with her touch. "I might charge for the next lap dance."

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I hope you enjoyed the oneshot. In case you're wondering, yes, it is loosely based off a personal experience I had going to a strip club. It was so uncomfortable, I can't stand all the invasion of personal space-and no, the only thing I paid for was a drink. Anyway, let me know what you thought of the oneshot! Hope you liked it.


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